THERE ARE FEW THINGS SADDER THAN WATCHING a ONCE-GREAT ACTOR SLIDE into DOING GARBAGE MERELY for MONEY. THE ONCE ELEGANT ANTHONY HOPKINS, WHOSE CHILLING PORTRAYAL of HANNIBAL LECTOR WON HIM a WELL-DESERVED BEST ACTOR OSCAR NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO, EVENTUALLY DROVE THAT CHARACTER INTO the GROUND with ENDLESS, PROGRESSIVELY TACKIER SEQUELS and REMAKES BASED on the LECTOR NOVELS.

NOW HOPKINS TRANSFERS MANY of the LOOKS, GESTURES and ATTITUDES THAT MADE LECTOR SO UNFORGETTABLE to the ROLE OF a PRIEST WHO HAS SUPPOSEDLY PERFORMED "OVER 1,000 EXORCISMS" in a MOVIE THAT LOOKS AS LUDICROUS AS a ROBOT CHICKEN RIFF on THE EXORCIST. WITH DIALOGUE LINES LIKE "I DON'T BELIEVE THE DEVIL MAKES US DO IT," CHARACTERS SPITTING UP CRUCIFIX NAILS and HOPKINS HIMSELF in "DEVIL-MAY-CARE" OVER-ACTING OVERDRIVE, THE RITE OUGHT to BE 2011'S MOST OVERWROUGHT HORROR MOVIE...

BUT the TRUE HORROR IS THAT THIS IS STILL ONLY MAY, and IF HOLLYWOOD IS UP to ITS USUAL STANDARDS, THERE ARE FAR MORE HORRIBLE THINGS to COME BEFORE THIS YEAR IS OVER...

FOR ADDITIONAL INFO on THE RITE, and/or to JOIN OUR FORUM DISCUSSION of the FILM, CLICK HERE.

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot create polls in this forumYou can vote in polls in this forum